Above and Beyond: Audience Engagement at Martha’s Place

How many contest winners that come to your station and pick up a prize are also your P1 diary keepers and panelists? Perhaps your station mails out most of your prizes. Does your promotions team do anything different when the envelope is going to one of your Hot Zips?

At most stations, the experience of picking up a prize most closely resembles the customer experience found at your local DMV when renewing your driver’s license.

Needless to say, that leaves plenty of room to win the hearts and minds of key members of your audience, especially Nielsen households that play your contests.

What if your receptionist offered to take the person’s picture in front of the station logo? As Facebook continues to suppress your station’s organic reach, these photos would be posted by the winner on social media and start generating engagement before she even gets into her car.

Better yet, imagine what would happen if they had a chance to meet their favorite DJ or got a picture behind the mic in the studio.

Most stations are missing easy and low cost opportunities to engage your super fans. If the receptionist can’t pull it off for every station in your cluster, focus on your top billing station and the winners in the Hot Zips.

If your station mails most of your prizes, include a hand written note from a DJ and invite the winner to post images or comments from the concert, dinner, movie, etc. using a specific station hashtag.

Although I wasn’t there picking up a prize, I experienced the equivalent of a fantastic  winner’s experience last month at Dave Ramsey’s headquarters just outside Nashville.

Feeling Right at Home at Martha’s Place

Located directly across the lobby from Dave’s radio studio, Martha’s Place is part bookstore, part welcome center for Dave’s fans who want to scream “I’m Debt Free” and come see his radio show. What makes it so remarkable isn’t the free coffee or cookies, it’s how everyone makes you feel welcomed.

Employees heading out for lunch or on their way to a meeting, still take a moment to introduce themselves to a new face in the lobby and see if there’s anything you need. They are genuinely interested in why you’re there. Whether you traveled 1,000 miles to meet Dave, are there to buy a book or are meeting with a staff member, the experience is remarkable without being over the top.

It all happens in an office lobby very similar to the one at your station, but Dave and his team make it easy for people to come visit. In fact, they encourage it with this webpage, which allows them to help you coordinate your visit and make sure Dave will be there when you visit.

Here’s a blog that also describes the hospitality of Martha’s Place, which can also inspire your own efforts. There are certainly small ways to make a big difference as you enhance the experience of your heavy listening P1s when they win a prize.

Please send me your thoughts on how you super serve your winners.

Thanks for reading. – Andrew